Highlights:

• Violent mobs in Bangladesh have engaged in serious acts of revenge violence since early August last year.
• Targets: Police officers and Awami League (AL) officials were the primary targets, but Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and indigenous people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts also faced human rights abuses.
• Types of Violence: Killings, burning of homes, and attacks on places of worship. Government Response: Authorities were unable to effectively protect the victims.
• Protest Incidents: During protests, some crowds committed lynching and retaliatory violence against police and AL officials.
• Serious Incidents: These incidents intensified from August 4 onwards, particularly after Sheikh Hasina left the country on August 5.

Violent mobs in Bangladesh have engaged in severe acts of revenge violence, including killings, primarily targeting police and Awami League officials since early August last year, according to a United Nations report.

The report highlights that Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and indigenous people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts were also subjected to human rights abuses, such as the burning of homes and attacks on places of worship, driven by various motivations.

"Authorities in disarray failed to provide an effective response to protect the human rights of these victims against abuses by non-state actors," the UN stated in its fact-finding report on human rights violations and abuses related to the July uprising. The report was launched today (12 February 2025) in Geneva by the UN human rights office (OHCHR).

During ongoing protests, certain elements within the crowds engaged in lynching and other severe retaliatory violence, targeting police and Awami League officials or supporters, often in response to unlawful violence attributed to the victims. The most serious incidents occurred from August 4 onwards.

Following Sheikh Hasina's departure from the country on August 5, revenge violence intensified. Violent mobs stormed and burned down numerous police stations. According to Bangladesh Police, 450 out of the country's 639 police stations were destroyed or damaged during these attacks, with many police officers either fleeing or being allowed to leave by their superiors. Some officers were lynched or otherwise killed.

In the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina's fall, many police officers feared reporting to work, leading to the effective cessation of police functioning in several areas. This facilitated further revenge violence and opportunistic crime. Between July 1 and August 15, Bangladesh Police reported 44 officers killed and 2,308 injured. The BGB reported three members killed and 129 injured; Ansar lost three members with 63 injured; and two RAB officers were killed, with 307 injured.

OHCHR could not provide its own estimate on the extent of revenge violence, particularly the killings of police officers and Awami League members. The Awami League provided OHCHR with a detailed list of 144 officials and members killed during attacks between July 1 and August 15, including 23 deaths up to August 3, 35 deaths on August 4, 68 deaths on August 5, and another 18 deaths between August 6 and 15. OHCHR was unable to independently verify these incidents.

Revenge violence also targeted journalists and media outlets perceived as biased towards the Awami League and supportive of the former government. The OHCHR strongly recommended prompt and independent investigations into all reported incidents of this nature to safeguard the country's social fabric, democratic culture, and cohesion.